Cloud Chamber

Finally, an
affordable, high performance Cloud Chamber perfect for schools,
science fairs, laboratories, and hobbyists. View dramatic tracks left by high-speed Alpha & Beta particles, perform experiments that
demonstrate Compton scattering, beta deflection and the photoelectric
effect. View cosmic Rays as they arrive from outer space and pass
through the chamber..... and much more!
An absolutely fascinating piece of equipment
that will captivate viewers for hours!

Award winning
performance in science fairs

Here's
how it works:
Pure isopropyl alcohol is warmed to ambient room temperature by a heat sink
located on the top of a glass chamber. The alcohol evaporates and its
dense vapors drift down and begin to fill the chamber. As more and more of the
alcohol evaporates, the air inside the chamber becomes heavily saturated.
Located at the bottom of the chamber is a thick copper 'condenser
plate'. This plate has a large copper ring fused to it which is cooled to very low
temperatures with Dry Ice. The copper ring transfers the low temperature
in the dry ice reservoir to the condenser plate.
The warm alcohol vapor from above, and the cold condenser plate below
creates a steep temperature gradient. The result is a very unique
environment of supersaturated alcohol vapor between two temperature
extremes within the chamber. This can be seen in the chamber by the presence of fine alcohol
"fog" that forms, drifting down to the condenser plate.
When a radioactive source is placed in the chamber, high-speed
nuclear particles pass through the alcohol vapor and leave ionization
trails. As the alcohol is in a supersaturated state, the vapor readily
condenses onto these trails producing large cloud tracks that
follow the path of the particles. These cloud trails are readily
visible, similar to the familiar contrails produced by high altitude aircraft on cold days.
A strong electric field (2,000
volts) is used to draw cloud
tracks down to the sensitive region of the chamber which is located just
above the condenser plate. The electric field also serves to increase
the sensitivity of the chamber and to prevent large amounts of alcohol
"rain" from obscuring the sensitive region.
The black background makes it easier to observe cloud tracks and a
bright white light illuminates the chamber from the side, making them
very visible against the dark background.

What's Included:Everything you need to use the CloudTracker ® cloud chamber and view nuclear particle tracks is included with
your purchase, except for the Dry Ice. Dry Ice is fairly inexpensive and can be purchased at most larger grocery stores or any ice supply store.
1 pint of pure Isopropyl alcohol is included (enough for dozens of
experiments) as well as a small
radioactive source that emits Alpha particles. Optional radioactive
isotope sources can also be purchased that emit other types of
radiation for a variety of different experiments.

All our radioactive
isotope sources are produced by an NRC licensed manufacturer in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and shipped to you direct from there.
This ensures your radioactive sources are factory-fresh
and haven't been sitting on the shelf decaying for years.

In addition, you can insert your own radioactive materials into the cloud chamber (Uranium ore, radium watch hands, etc.) and view the nuclear particles produced by them.A step-by-step Illustrated instruction booklet is included.

NOTE: THESE ARE CURRENTLY MADE TO ORDER
PLEASE ALLOW ADDITIONAL TIME FOR ASSEMBLY & TESTING.

Simple to operate.

Thick, pure Copper plate used
for rapid & efficient chamber cooling.

All Copper joints are Silver
soldered for maximum strength and resistance to thermal shock.

Safe, low
current & reliable 2,000 volt power supply.

Built-in
flexible lighting for illuminating cloud tracks.

Insulated cooling receptacle permits very long viewing times while consuming
little Dry Ice.